A rare and remarkable discovery this is
Joseph Tiefenthaler and
Anquetil-Duperron’s important 1784 map of the Ganges and Ghaghara
(Karnali) river system. As a whole this map is a significant
advancement over earlier mappings of this region as evidenced in the
works of De L’Isle and others. Presented here are actually six maps on
a single sheet. The central map (Fig. 1), showing the entire course of
the Ganges and the Ghaghara rivers, is a European style map produced by
Tiefenthaler based upon his own travels and quadrant surveys as well as
on the indigenous cartography he collected along the way. Four of the
five smaller maps presented are in fact Tiefenthaler’s copies of Indian
maps given to or provided for him. The stylistic difference between
these and the central European style map are clear, especially as
regarding the rendering of direction, bodies of water, and topography.

Tiefenthaler’s
copies of indian cartographic material include figures II, III, IV, and
V. Figure II correctly locates the source of the Ganges at the Gangotri
Glacier, Gaumukah, known as the “Cow’s Mouth” due to its strong
resemblance to the open mouth of a cow. Figure III, a large map at the
top center, focuses on the Lake of Mansarovar (Mansaroar), the supposed
source of the Karnali or Ghaghara River. It is unlikely that
Tiefenthaler actually ever say Mansarovar as this lake is located high
on the Tibetan Plateau which, during this historic period, was closed
to foreigners. Figure IV is another Indian chart focusing on the
secondary sources around the volcano of Doulou Bassandar. Figure V
shows a secondary source for the Ghaghara as it runs through the
Himalayas. Figure VI depicts earlier misconceptions regarding the
source of the Ganges as suggested by P. Souciet in his 1729 four volume
work Observations, Mathematical, Astronomical, Geographica,
Chronological, and Physical.

One
of the most striking elements of this map is the inclusion of Pesian
text in each of the maps Tiefenthaler claims to have copied from
indigenous sources. These text blocks are vaguely transliterated and
translated into French in a table in the upper left quadrant. The is
the only European map of India we are aware of to incorporate Persian
text.

Most of the cartographic work that led to this map was
completed by Tiefenthaler in India. Tiefenthaler, near the end of his
life, forwarded it to his friend and fellow orientalist
Anquetil-Duperron, living at the time in Paris. Duperron, a noted
orientalist, compiled Tiefenthaler’s research and sketches into this
important independently issued map. Though significant in its time this
map is little known by modern cartographic historians who, when
discussing the mapping of India, tend to focus on the later work of
Rennell.

Date:
1784 (dated)

References:
San Bartholomeo, P., Voyage to the East Indies Between 1776 and 1789,
p. 234.

Cartographer: Joseph Tiefenthaler (or Tieffenthaler
or
Tieffentaller) (August 27, 1710 – July 5, 1785) was a Jesuit missionary
and geographer active in India during the latter half of the 18th
century. Tiefenthaler is considered to be India’s forgotten geographer
because his significant cartographic achievements in India are often
given second place to Rennell’s slightly later work. Tiefenthaler was
born in Tyrol, then a province of the Austrian Empire. As a young man
he studied in Spain before joining the Jesuit order in 1729. The
Jesuits sent Tiefenthaler to India where he was established as Rector
of the Jesuit High School in Agra. In 1759 the Jesuit order was
expelled from all Portuguese controlled areas in India forcing
Tiefenthaler to flee to the north. Tiefenthaler proceeded to travel
extensively in northern India eventually following the Ganges to
Calcutta, which had just been established as a trading center. During
his travels he dedicated himself to correcting the geography of the
country. Using little more than a quadrant Tiefenthaler corrected the
coordinates of countless cities and temples. Tiefenthaler eventually
compiled his research into two insightful works, Descriptio
Indiæ and Cursus Gangæ,.
He also made liberal use of Indian cartographic knowledge and met with
Indian geographers whenever possible. Nowhere is this more evident than
in the reproductions of indigenous charts that appear in his second
important work, Cursus Gangæ, which studies the course
of the
Ganges River to its sources. Tiefenthaler sent his most important
cartographic work to the French orientalist and geographer A. H.
Anquetil-Duperron who compiled and edited the manuscripts into to
important publications, Recherches hist. et géogr. sur
l'Inde and an independently issued map Carte
général du cours du Gange et du Gagra dressée par
les cartes particuliéres du P. Tieffenthaler. Tiefenthaler
never returned to Europe and died in Lucknow, India, in 1785. He is
buried at the mission cemetery in Agra.

Cartographer:
Abraham-Hyacinthe Anquetil Du Perron (December 7, 1731 – January 17,
1805) was a French orientalist and linguist active in India and France
in the late 18th century. Duperron, as he is commonly known, was born
in Pairs and educated for the priesthood in Utrecht. There he
discovered a natural affinity for foreign languages and mastered
Hebrew, Arabic, and Persian. Eventually Duperron decided that the
priesthood was not for him and instead focused exclusively on oriental
languages. His diligent attendance at the Royal Library attracted the
attention of the keeper of the manuscripts who arranged for Duperron to
receive a small salary as a linguistic scholar. In the Royal Library he
chanced upon some fragmentary religious texts associated with
Zoroaster. Inspired by the obscure religious works Duperron conceived a
scheme that would take him to India in search of the full texts. With
little funds for the voyage he was forced to enlist as a private
soldier on an Indian expedition set to leave for the Orient. This
proved unnecessary as Duperron’s more influential associates were able
to arrange for him to be discharged from military service, given a
small salary, free passage to India, and even a seat at the captain’s
table. Duperron eventually spent seven years in India where he studied
geography, language, law, culture, and antiquities. In time he did
succeed in his quest to recover the works of Zoroaster and some even
claim he mastered the Avesta language. War between England and France
eventually lead to the expulsion of the French from the subcontinent
and forced Duperron to return to Paris. He took with him some 180
oriental manuscripts and numerous other curiosities. In Paris he
continued his orientalist studies and published a number of Latin and
French translations of Indian religious texts including the Avesta
and the Upanishads.
One legacy of his time in India was his acquaintance with the Jesuit
geographer and missionary Joseph Tiefenthaler. Tiefenthaler mailed
Duperron his geographic works which he edited and eventually published
as Recherches historiques et geographiques sur L'Inde. Duperron
is also responsible for the compilation and editing of Tiefenthaler’s
important map of the Ganges and Gangra river systems, Carte
général du cours du Gange et du Gagra dressée par
les cartes particuliéres du P. Tieffenthaler. Duperron died
in Paris in 1805.